


Not Yet Monsters

by spookyawards_archivist



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling, The X-Files
Genre: Crossover, Vignette
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2003-10-01
Updated: 2003-10-01
Packaged: 2019-04-27 07:03:31
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 502
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14420076
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/spookyawards_archivist/pseuds/spookyawards_archivist
Summary: Two strangers meet in a bar





	Not Yet Monsters

**Author's Note:**

> Note from alice ttlg, the archivist: this story was originally archived at [Spooky Awards](http://fanlore.org/wiki/Spooky_Awards), and was moved to the AO3 as part of the Open Doors project in 2018. I tried to reach out to all creators about the move and posted announcements, but may not have reached everyone. If you are the creator and would like to claim this work, please contact me using the e-mail address on [SpookyAwards' collection profile](http://archiveofourown.org/collections/spookyawards/profile).

 

Not Yet Monsters

## Not Yet Monsters

### by Spookykat

Not Yet Monsters 

Copyrighted Chris Carter, 1013, and Fox. Tom Riddle is a creation of JK Rowling, Ballentine Books, and Warnerbros. 

He looked like he had a purpose. He looked like the rest of them. 

But Tom Riddle could ignore the rest of them--even hate them. But there was something about this man that Tom could neither ignore nor hate. 

Later he decided it was the way in which the puffed his cigarette, like he was sucking the life from the rest of the world out of that one inhalation. 

Inhale. 

Annihilation. 

It was as though every time he flicked the desperately glowing embers mercilessly to the wind, it was one step closer to the end of the world. 

Tom had no idea who this man was. He'd never seen a cigarette before. But he was mesmerized. 

"It's rude to stare," the stranger said it like no option remained but to look away. "People will think you're out of control." 

"Beg pardon?" Tom stammered, "I've just never seen one of those." 

"Have you lived in a cave all your life?" 

"Something like that," Tom said with a small chuckle. 

"You don't want to start this habit," the man said with a Cheshire-cat grin. "They'll give you cancer." 

"Only if you die," Tom answered quickly. 

"You're wrong, kid," he said, taking another gratuitous puff. "That's where you make your big mistake." 

"How can you presume that?" Tom snapped. 

"Because everyone makes that mistake." 

"I'm not everyone." 

"You're right. You're no one. No one at all. Just like me." 

"I don't put something that gives me cancer to my lips. Forgive me if I don't see the connection." 

"You didn't give your name right away. For most people, a name is everything. They spend their lives trying to be immortal. They try to beat death. Even cheat it. If you make a business of trying to fight death, it's going to kill you. But then, so does cancer. The point is, if death doesn't know your name, you'll live forever. Conquer your fear of death, and you're immortal. We're afraid of that which we want to be afraid of. For people like us, a name is a liability." 

"What are you afraid of?" 

"Nothing. I fear nothing because fear is useless. Fear does nothing to achieve The Greater Good. Fear only defeats the Greater Cause." 

"But fear is love." 

"The sooner you learn that love is more destructive than hate, the better off you'll be, my friend." 

"What girl brought you to that conclusion?" 

"No girl," he said, taking another puff, "only the knowledge that respect is the only thing you can truly call your own. And a man in love has lost all his respect." 

"I never asked you," Tom said as he left the money at the bar. "What business are you in?" 

"I write books," he answered. And with that, was gone.   
  


#### If you enjoyed this story, please send feedback to Spookykat


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